


Godparents (The fine line between love and hate)

by SperaStella



Series: Damerey Tumblr Prompts [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Party, Dad!Poe, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Food Trucks, Godparents, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Orphans, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Prompt Fill, Restaurants, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Tumblr Prompt, mom!rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 10:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30121305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SperaStella/pseuds/SperaStella
Summary: Snap and Karé Wexley’s passing hits everyone hard. Their daughter Norra was the only survivor of the horrific car accident that claimed both parents. With no clear next-of-kin, Rey Kenobi is determined to ensure her goddaughter does not end up in foster care while also trying to balance running her own restaurant.When Poe Dameron, a former classmate who Rey despises, turns out to be the child’s godfather, the two will have to find a way to work through their differences for their goddaughter’s future.PROMPT: Poe and Rey hate each other but after their best friends' sudden deaths, they have to raise their orphaned baby together. Bonus points if the dead friends aren't Finn and Rose so they get to stick around haha.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: Damerey Tumblr Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2208972
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Godparents (The fine line between love and hate)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kday426](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kday426/gifts).



> Hello friends! This is for a lovely anonymous person who left me a prompt on Tumblr as well as kday426 to whom I send my love in this difficult time. I’m posting this earlier than originally planned because I’m really excited to share it and I feel the need to provide whatever support I can, even if it is just fic. Special thanks to my beta fictional_fangirl03 for helping me iron out some wrinkles with Rey and Poe’s backstory. 
> 
> Mild warning: There be angst ahead, but fear not, a happy ending is guaranteed!
> 
> Fun Star Wars trivia: I named Snap and Karé’s daughter Norra after Snap’s mother, Norra Wexley. Also, just so we are all clear, Norra's stuffed dragon toy is totally Sisu kthnxbye.

Snap and Karé Wexley’s passing hits everyone hard. It was a horrific car accident that claimed Snap’s life immediately on impact. Karé held on until EMS arrived and insisted they rescue their daughter Norra first. By the grace of God, the six-month-old infant somehow made it out completely unscathed. Unfortunately, Karé would end up passing in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. 

That’s why Rey Kenobi now finds herself at the funeral afterparty. Admittedly, the words “funeral” and “afterparty” don’t seem appropriate, but everyone does the best they can to muster on and remember the loved ones lost. Karé was one of Rey’s best friends in culinary school and while the two had grown apart in recent years with the different paths life takes you on, she was beyond honored when Karé asked her to be Norra’s godmother. As if she could ever refuse. 

Norra lies in a stroller fast asleep. The poor girl had been through hell the past few days and things are likely not going to get any easier. Because the Wexley’s have no living relatives or clear next-of-kin, Norra’s future was still being determined. If there was one decision that had been made, however, it was that Rey was resolved the young girl would not, under any circumstance, grow up in the foster care system. 

Rey had spent the first ten years of her life in the foster care system; she would not wish it on even her worst enemy and certainly not the surviving child of one of her best friends. It’s why she up and volunteered to at least temporarily adopt Norra until a better long-term solution was decided upon.

“Hey sweetie,” greets her other best friend, Rose, as she takes a seat next to her at the quiet table off the side of the party. “How are you doing over here?”

“Fine, I guess.” 

“Yeah…” Rose mutters with a forced short smile. “Did you get anything to eat earlier?”

“A little when I was feeding Norra, but I’m honestly not very hungry”

They sit in silence for what feels like an eternity, because really, what are either of them supposed to say in this situation? 

The crowd from the funeral mixes and mingles. Some of the guests were familiar to Rey from their time in culinary school, while another large contingent were unknown friends and neighbors of the Wexley’s from after Rey knew them. She spots one individual who falls into the former category that she would rather avoid. Unfortunately, he seems to also notice her and comes strolling over.

“What is _he_ doing here?” whispers-yells Rey at Rose. Before her friend can answer, the man arrives and greets them both.

“Rey, Rose,” he nods courteously with a sullen expression on his face.

“Dameron,” she acknowledges coolly, determined not to make a scene.

Dameron, as in Poe Dameron. Their storied history goes back five years where they were two of the most promising chefs in culinary school. For a final capstone, they were paired up and given the opportunity to provide dinner service to a panel of five Michelin Guide critics. It was the kind of opportunity that could make or break their young careers. 

Despite the stakes, Dameron insisted on cooking everything free-hand, mixing and matching flavors and ingredients on a whim. His unconventional approach did not mesh at all with her own more reserved, planned, and controlled cooking style. The end result was nothing short of a disaster. They fought each other constantly and were barely able to get any food served. Ultimately, the critics would judge them harshly for delivering such an uneven service with not one of their dishes complimenting another. If that wasn’t enough, he strangely dropped out of school shortly thereafter while she was left trying to keep her career from being sidelined before it ever really began. 

In the present though, Dameron was simply the lousy, free-loading owner of Dameron’s Dishes, a popular (she hated to admit it) food truck that took good business away from hard-working real restaurant proprietors such as herself. 

“How are you both holding up?”

Rey gives him a look that could kill and he nods meekly. Rose doesn’t even bother to comment. 

He leans over the stroller and caresses Norra’s cheek. “Hey, baby girl.”

The infant stirs and coos happily at his touch. Rey bites her lip and folds her arms across her chest. “Can we help you with something Dameron?”

“Uh...maybe.” He rubs the back of his neck and shuffles his feet. “Do either of you know who is taking care of Norra?”

“Why?”

“Well, I was kinda thinking she could stay with me, at least for a little while.” 

Rey practically jumps out of her seat at his suggestion. “Why on earth do you think you should look after Norra? You can barely park your stupid truck straight!” 

Yep, she lasted all of two minutes before making a scene. 

“Well excuse me your royal highness if I offend your delicate sensibilities of what a dining experience should be, but I’m great with kids.” 

“Says who?” she snorts. “The soccer moms who follow that dumpster you call a truck around?”

“Okay, you know what, I don’t need to explain myself to you.” He glares at her and takes a step closer. “I’m Norra’s godfather and I’ll do what I think is best for that little girl, do you understand me?!”

Rey throws her hands up in the air. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! You’re Norra’s godfather?!”

“Yes, of course! Snap was one of my best friends, who else do you think he was going to ask to be his daughter’s godfather?!” 

“Yeah, well Karé made me Norra’s godmother and there is no way in hell I’m letting this sweet girl be raised by a no-good,”—she takes a step closer to him—”scruffy-looking”—she shoves her finger directly in his chest—”nerf herder like you.” 

“Oh, and I suppose you have a better plan don’t you?”

“Absolutely. Norra will live with me for the time being.” 

“Oh hell no. I don’t care if you’re her godmother, there is no way I’m letting this sweet innocent girl grow up to be a stuck-up little princess like you!”

There is a foot of space between them as they scowl at one another with their hands on their hips. A strange euphoria rushes in her stomach and Rey furrows her brow, determined not to give this man even so much as an inch. 

It’s Rose who finally speaks next, offering a truly terrible suggestion.

“Since you are both Norra’s godparents, why don’t you both look after her until a more permanent solution is found?”

* * *

“Dude, Rey is the absolute worst!” 

Finn barely looks up at Poe from the line of entrees they are rushing to serve to the overeager lunch crowd waiting by the side of the truck. “Yeah man, you said that yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that too.”

“And I’ll keep saying it too!” Poe leans over the counter and pushes out two orders of beef tacos, a chicken enchilada, and three orders of their signature empanadas. “You know, I went to pick up Norra from Rey’s place yesterday and she rearranged her to-go bag again.”

“So, what’s the big deal?”

“It’s a big deal because Norra woke up in the middle of the drive home and I had to go digging through the bag to find the stuffed dragon toy she needs in order to go back to sleep.” He rings up another three empanadas with two sides of rellenitos. 

“I still don’t get what the problem is man,” shrugs Finn. “You knew what you were signing up for when you lobbied to look after Norra.”

“Norra, I can handle. It’s her royal highness Rey Kenobi who I can’t stand,” huffs Poe emphatically. “Nothing I do is ever good enough for her. Everything has to be done her way.” 

“You know man, I honestly thought you had a thing for her back in school.”

“Who?! Rey? God no.”

Finn raises an eyebrow and gives him a _stop bullshitting me_ look. 

“Okay fine,” he sighs, “Did I find her attractive in a fun, curious kind of way? Sure. But that was before our falling out and before I got to know her as the stuck-up little princess she is.”

Finn waves his hand at him with a laugh. “Whatever man.” 

* * *

“Dameron was late picking up Norra again yesterday!” complains Rey to Rose. 

Her sous-chef is barely listening and instead chooses to focus on finishing the sides for the three dishes about ready to be served. It was Friday night dinner service, the busiest time of the week, and all Rey could seem to do is complain about that damn man. 

“You know, he isn’t the only one with a life and a business to run!” After a final check, she pushes the dishes Rose had finished to the waiter to serve. “I not only run my own kitchen but also this entire restaurant! He could at least be a little considerate and try to show up on-time for his goddaughter!”

“Maybe he got stuck in traffic?” 

“Whatever, I didn’t ask. I don’t need Dameron’s excuses.” 

“You know sweetie, I really don’t understand your hatred for Poe.” Rose hands her two plates ready for the veal saltimbocca she is preparing. “I always thought you had a crush on him back in the day.” 

Rey rolls her eyes. “Maybe in a brief moment of weakness I thought he was hot or something, but that was before he nearly ruined my career, left school and set up his stupid food truck.” Rey scoffs as she arranges the veal perfectly on the plate. “I’m in here working my ass off trying to keep this restaurant afloat and he’s out there stealing all my customers!” 

“I don’t think it works that way honey, we don’t even serve the same cuisine or customers.”

“Oh, it definitely works that way!” 

* * *

Rey sits in the waiting room of the pediatrician’s office. Norra was due for a check-up and of course, Dameron insisted on coming along. She watches him entertain Norra in the play area. The infant smiles, laughs, and coos at his attention. Rey hated to admit it, but he wasn’t the worst godparent ever. Sure, the man was still positively insufferable, but they had somehow managed to come to an understanding whereby they weren’t at each other’s throats every minute of every day. 

When the nurse calls their name, they make their way to the examination room. About five minutes later, an older woman in a white coat enters the room who introduces herself as Doctor Kalonia. Overall, the check-up goes surprisingly smooth with Norra getting a clean bill of health. 

Rey privately breathes a sigh of relief. While she loved looking after Norra, the long days and even longer nights had begun to wear her down. Sometimes she found herself questioning if she was really providing the best home for the young girl. Given the circumstances—

“Everything okay Rey?” asks Dameron, snapping her out of her head as they wait by the bank of elevators. 

“Yeah fine,” she mumbles. “What were you saying?”

“I was asking what time do you want me to pick Norra up on Thursday?” The door to the elevator opens and he pushes her stroller inside. “Is 3:00pm okay?”

“Yeah, that should be fine if you can manage to be on time.”

He ignores her passive-aggressive insult as the elevator stops two floors down to let on a young couple coming from the OB/GYN department. Rey, unfortunately, has to scooch closer to him to make room since their stroller takes up most of the space in the elevator. 

“You have a beautiful daughter,” comments the young woman with a smile as she watches Norra fidget with her stuffed dragon toy. 

Unsure what to say, Rey blushes and fumbles with her words until Dameron cuts in with a simple smile. 

“Thank you.” 

Goddamnit, she is going to kill this man one day. 

* * *

Rey sits on a park bench with Norra enjoying some much-needed sunshine between lunch and dinner service. It had been two months since she agreed to this whole co-parenting thing with Dameron and she had finally gotten a call from a state social worker informing her someone would be dropping by in the coming weeks to perform an evaluation and make a recommendation for the child’s future. Formally adopting Norra was still her preference, but after consulting a friend who was a lawyer, he cautioned that it could still be tricky. Social services normally preferred to see children placed in financially stable, two-parent households. 

Unfortunately, Rey was neither of those things. Her credit was completely maxed out taking a loan to keep the restaurant afloat and lord knows she hasn’t been on an actual date in at least three years.

If that somehow wasn’t enough, she also got into a huge fight with Dameron yesterday over Norra’s diet. He kept letting her try new foods, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but the lack of any consistency at all made it harder to get the girl into a reliable eat-play-sleep schedule. _Ugh._ It always felt like this constant battle between them where he was the cool dad and then she had to step in and be the strict mom about everything. 

“Hey, there you are.” 

Rey looks up to see Rose approaching.

“Hey, yeah, I just needed to step out for a bit, stretch my legs.”

“Kaydal said as much,” nods Rose as she takes a seat on the bench. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Always.”

“Poe?”

“Unfortunately, he’s just one of my problems right now.” Rey smiles meekly and they sit in silence for several moments before she continues on. “Social services are coming for a review soon and I’m afraid...I’m afraid they are going to take Norra away.” She fights back tears at the edge of her eyelids as she reaches over and caresses the infant girl sleeping in her stroller. “I cannot let that happen. Norra cannot go to one of those group homes while she waits for some family to possibly adopt her.”

“Did you tell Poe?”

Rey nods.

“And what did he say?”

She shrugs helplessly. “Dameron just said to relax and that everything would be alright.”

Rose offers her a short smile. “Maybe he was trying to be reassuring so you wouldn’t worry?”

Rey throws her hands up in the air. “Like I’m not already worrying now!” The tears she was holding back begin to fall slowly down her cheek. “Neither of you have ever been to one of those homes, you don’t understand what it’s like there.” Digging into Norra’s to-go bag, she pulls out a pack of kleenexes to blow her nose and wipe her tears. “It’s awful there Rose. You get packed in a house with at least a dozen other kids. Half the guardians will be good people trying to do their best while being completely overwhelmed and the other half will be downright cruel and uncaring, only bothering with you for the monthly stipend you bring them.”

“Hey come here.” Rose wraps an arm around her for a sideways hug. “Everything will be okay.”

“God don’t say that, you sound just like him,” scoffs Rey with a strained smile as she leans against her best friend for support. 

Rose simply rolls her eyes, laughs silently, and shakes her head with a short grin.

* * *

It’s December and that means it’s Christmas season. Rey and Dameron are shopping together with Norra at the mall. Neither of them really trusted the other to Christmas shop for the girl on their own so they agreed to make it a joint outing. Dameron was completely useless though, bending over backward trying to squeeze every little thing that made Norra smile into their cart. They were eating together at the food court when he suggested they make a stop at the Build-A-Bear workshop on the second floor.

“Absolutely not,” groans Rey as she finishes her Tuna sandwich. “Norra is too young for Build-A-Bear and for the ten millionth time, we already have our Christmas list and a budget.” 

The list was a compromise to ensure there were at least a few gifts they could agree upon and the budget was her idea. She was really stretched thin this month and was counting on a big holiday surge at the restaurant to hopefully make some real headway against her loan.

“Yeah, but that list was made before I saw they had the little stuffed Baby Yoda plushies. Norra definitely needs one of those!” 

Rey raises an eyebrow. “As opposed to her favorite stuffed dragon toy, the other three stuffed animals she already has, and the two more we’ve already bought her for Christmas?”

“A girl can never have too many stuffed animals,” he shrugs with a grin. 

“Nope. Not happening.”

“C’mon princess, why do you always have to be a buzzkill?”

“Don’t call me that,” she barks angrily. “I hate it when you call me that!” 

“You know, I don’t get you sometimes.” He leans over and sets Norra back in her high-chair as she tries to get away. “You spend every minute of the day fussing over your stupid restaurant or worrying about Norra, but you won’t indulge the girl even a little bit. What is with that? Are you so high strung to follow all the rules, all the time, just like back at school, that you can’t let go and have a little fun?”

Whether it be the frustration of having spent nearly a full day with the man, the still upcoming visit by social services, or the pressure from the restaurant, Rey snaps and unloads on him.

“Don’t call my restaurant stupid and don’t you dare presume to know me Dameron! My dad owned that restaurant and it’s all I have left of him!” Tears begin to swell in her eyes as she stands up angrily. “I love Norra to death and will do whatever it takes to keep her out of foster care, but I’ve nearly gone broke trying to keep my restaurant up and running, so excuse me if I don’t have a few extra pennies lying around so you can indulge your fantasy of playing dad of the year.” With a huff, Rey turns on her heel and storms out of the food court. 

She is sitting on a bench trying to pull herself together when Dameron finally exits the food court five minutes later with Norra in her stroller. He has a forlorn expression on his face as he approaches her. 

“I’m sorry,” he says in a shaky voice. “I’m really sorry.”

Glancing up at him, she finds genuine sorrow in his eyes. 

“Can I sit?”

When she doesn’t respond, he takes the seat next to her anyway. There is a long moment of silence before he speaks again. 

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know that about your dad, that it was his restaurant or the struggles you are dealing with.” Rey can feel him looking over at her, but she still doesn’t move or say a word. “Look, I know you hate me, but I promise I never meant to be purposefully cruel to you.” He audibly sighs and reaches forward to rock Norra’s stroller back and forth. “You see I always thought of you as that perfect girl I met in culinary school, the daughter of the famous eight star Michelin Chef Ben Kenobi.”

Rey has a lot of feelings swirling around inside her at the moment — anger, sadness, sorrow, fear, more anger — but her head instantly picks up, unable to ignore one specific word he said. 

“You thought I was perfect?” 

He looks over at her and she finds his brown eyes warm, comforting, and even a bit playful. 

“Sure, ‘perfect’ in the follow-all-the-rules, never experiment, and desperate to earn praise from everyone kind of way,” he teases with a gentle nudge of their shoulders. 

God, she hates him. 

But it’s enough to get a small laugh out of her. “Yeah, as opposed to your need to disregard every instruction ever given to us and cook whatever you damn well pleased?”

Dameron shrugs with a grin. “Those fools never knew anything anyway.” 

Another bout of silence comes between them.

“Is that why you left?” she asks after a while.

“Yes, partially,” he sighs. “You know my feelings on cooking out of plastic bags and the supposed science of cooking food. All of that… It’s not why I wanted to become a chef in the first place and ultimately I decided that type of kitchen, that life, isn’t for me.”

“But you were so good,” she interjects without stopping to think because fuck it, let’s get it all out in the open why not?

“Hmm maybe. I think we both know you were far better though.” 

Rey feels her cheeks warm and she stares down at the ground.

“That wasn't the main reason I left though. My father was diagnosed with cancer and I needed to come home to care for him and help with the bills.”

Well, damn, who said you can’t have emotional heart-to-hearts outside a food court in a shopping mall?

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that.”

“It’s okay,” he smiles timidly. “If there is one good thing that came out of that situation it was my truck. We were so broke trying to pay medical bills that I couldn’t afford to open my own restaurant. I also couldn’t work at someone else’s place because I needed complete autonomy of my schedule to help with my dad. That’s when I got the idea of a food truck. I paid $1,500 for that piece of junk and had to practically rip the whole thing apart and build her back up. Thankfully, dad managed to recover and Black One has become the talk of the town.

_Oh for fucks sake._

Rey looks at him like the idiot she now most definitely knows him to be.

“Please tell me you did not name your truck that?”

“Sure did. Black One is a beauty isn’t she?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “God, you really are an insufferable nerf herder aren’t you?” 

Dameron simply shrugs with a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

They sit quietly for another few minutes before he rises to his feet, turns to her, and extends his hand, palm up, to help her stand. “Let’s go, we have one more stop to make.” Rey gives him a skeptical look. “C’mon, I promise it’s not Build-A-Bear!”

Rolling her eyes, she smiles, takes his hand, and hops to her feet. “Fine, lead the way.” 

He guides them back through the main part of the mall, pushing Norra’s stroller along until they arrive at the center rotunda where there is a photo setup with Santa Claus taking pictures with families.

“Oh no,” she protests almost immediately as he gets in line with Norra in her stroller. “Come on, we can’t do this. We’re woefully underdressed.”

“Yes, we can and will do this, underdressed or not.” He speaks firmly with a look of determination on his face she hadn’t seen before. “Norra had a Christmas photo taken with her family last year and you can be damn sure she is getting her picture taken with her family again this year. Right now, that family is you and me, so stop complaining and get your butt over here.”

_Well, damn._

How can she argue with him when he puts it like that? 

Rey didn’t get her first Christmas photo until after she was adopted by Ben Kenobi when she was 10-years-old. Come to think of it, she didn’t have any photos of her younger self, Christmas or otherwise, prior to the adoption. Perhaps that was the point though, she had no happy memories to hold onto, and maybe that makes it all the more important they do this for Norra now. So that one day, when she gets older and understands what happened to her parents, she can look back and see there were still people who loved her. 

“Okay, fine.” Rey sighs, taking her place in line next to him.

They wait another 20 minutes in line before it's finally their turn. It takes another ten minutes just to get Norra situated on Santa’s lap. They take three sets of photos: one with the three of them, one of just Norra, and finally, at the photographer’s insistence, one of just her and Dameron together. 

He ends up paying for the photo package and promises to send copies to her once they arrive before Christmas. 

* * *

Finn’s dad Lando had a thing for huge parties and so it felt like half the town was invited to the Calrissian’s annual Christmas Party. Expectedly, Rey once again found herself at a quiet table with Norra. Since Dameron was also invited, they took turns throughout the evening looking after the girl. 

Earlier in the night, he had given her a roll of wallet pictures from the photo-session at the mall. She smiled wide at the photos of the three of them together, the one of just Norra, and even the one of just her and Dameron. She had made a fuss over their picture together, but he ended up tickling her into submission. Naturally, the photographer went with the photo of them in the middle of the act: her giggling, hands around his shoulders trying to push him away, and him grinning as he tickled the sides of her abdomen. 

When a slow dance starts, Finn comes over insisting she loosen up and he drags her to the dance floor. Jannah agrees to look after Norra for a few minutes while Rey dances with Dameron’s best friend. They wind up dancing for less than a minute before he dumps her straight in front of the man himself, who had been conveniently dancing with Rose. Their mutual best friends give them a nod of encouragement and dance off together into the crowd, leaving her standing awkwardly about with Dameron. 

Rey bites her lip and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. She suddenly feels very self-conscious. Why did she have to wear this stupid off-the-shoulder red mini dress? 

“Shall we?” he shrugs with a lopsided grin, holding out his hand. 

Rey rolls her eyes and sighs. “Fine.”

She sucks in a breath as he pulls her close, the warmth of his arm at the small of her back has her stomach doing somersaults. Time seems to slow as the seconds drag on for what feels like hours and holy hell when did it get so hot in here?

“Are you having a good time so far?” he asks, his voice thready and uneven. “At the party, I mean?”

“Yeah...You know Mr. Calrissian always knows how to throw a great party.”

“Right.” 

Neither seems to notice when the music changes to a different slow song, they simply keep dancing along together. 

“How’s Norra doing?” 

“Good, I think I should leave soon though...” Rey looks over at Jannah still watching the girl. “It’s getting late and we don’t want her staying out too late.” 

“Right…” He also looks over at Norra before turning back to her suddenly. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, social services came by the other day to check out my place and ask me a bunch of questions. The whole thing took about forty-five minutes.” 

“What?! And you didn’t tell me!” Rey smacks the side of his shoulder. “What happened? What did they want? What questions did they ask you?”

“Woah, relax.” Taking her hands, he guides them up and around to the back of his neck. He settles both his hands around her slender waist and she blushes, sucking in another breath as he pulls her even closer. “It was mostly just standard stuff, where does Norra sleep, eat, and whatnot. Some twat named Hux was doing the inspection. He honestly didn’t seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. I told him I watch Norra a few days a week, but that you were her primary guardian and your place is her residence.”

“...Dameron, I—”

“Hey, relax,” he says with a smile, rubbing gentle patterns into her hips that nearly melt her into a giant puddle. “I know we never talked about it and I’m sorry for that, but I figured telling them you were Norra’s primary guardian was better than trying to explain some joint-custody thing. From what I hear, social services usually prefer to have kids stay with moms and we both know you’ve been keeping your place neurotically clean for weeks now.” 

“I uh…” 

Rey gazes up into his deep brown eyes and finds herself at a loss for words. What is happening here? Why is he so...why is everything so... _ugh_. He smiles at her again and she just wants to run and hide under a rock. When the silence between them stretches on for too long, he opens his stupid mouth and sends her soaring off a cliff again. 

“You uh...look beautiful tonight...” he murmurs, “I um...should have mentioned that earlier.” 

_Fucking hell_.

She hates him. He glances down at her lips. She really hates him. Her head tilts up closer to his. She really really hates him. His lips part and she hears him speak her name like a whisper in the wind: 

_“Rey”_

She really really _really_ hates this man. 

Rey closes her eyes and waits for what now seems like the inevitable to come. 

That is until loud noise calls both of them to attention. 

Norra is awake and crying.

* * *

Poe and Finn are preparing the truck for lunch service. It was Christmas Eve and two days since Mr. Calrissian’s unforgettable Christmas party. More specifically, it was a certain gorgeous brunette with hazel eyes wearing a pretty red dress that Poe couldn’t get out of his head.

“Hey man, so you know how we were talking a few months ago?”

Finn looks up from restocking the condiments. “About…?”

“About Rey...and me?”

“Ah okay,” laughs Finn. “I see where this is going.”

Poe punches his best friend in the arm playfully. “This is serious, man. The other night at your party, I think we kinda had a moment.”

“A moment?”

“Yeah...like a _moment_ moment.”

“Was there any kissing involved in this moment? Tongue? Untoward touching?”

“Alright, you know what, you are useless.” He sets out a packet of soft tortilla shells for their tacos later. “All I’m saying is there was a moment last night where it seemed like all the bullshit of our past and present didn’t matter and we were just two normal people dancing…I don't know... Am I making any sense here?” 

“I mean what do you want me to say man? You’ve been in love with Rey Kenobi for the last five years.” 

Poe throws his hands up in the air. “Dude, we’ve hated each other for the better part of those five years. Half the time we couldn’t even talk to each other without getting into an argument and the other half of the time we were straight up avoiding each other.” 

Finn shrugs with a grin. “There is a very fine line between love and hate my friend.” 

* * *

Rey tried not to think about that night too much. A momentary lapse in judgment...that’s all it was. She was drinking, celebrating, and objectively, he looked good in a blazer...those were the facts. There was nothing to be ashamed about. 

Any residual feelings she may or may not have had for Dameron quickly evaporated on Christmas day when he showed up at her place for Norra’s gift exchange in the ugliest Christmas sweater she had ever seen. Yep, some things never change. Dameron was still the same annoying, insufferable, nerf herder he always was. 

He even had the audacity to buy her a matching sweater and insist she wear it. (Which she did for some unknown reason.) He also had their Christmas photos framed into an ornament, one for Norra and one he gave to Rey. The front side of the ornament had the picture of the three of them. It also opened up like a book to reveal the picture of Norra alone as well as the one of just Rey and him together. 

That damn man never listens. They had agreed not to get gifts for one another. They didn’t even like each other, the day was supposed to be about Norra.

Later, they cooked Christmas dinner in her kitchen, each taking ownership of their own dishes. It was the first time they had cooked in the same kitchen since their disaster in culinary school. Unlike their previous catastrophe, this time their differing approaches worked well together. They didn’t fight or try to change each other; instead, they simply challenged each other’s limits, pushing one another to be better. Rey figured it was probably only because they weren’t cooking for customers or critics this time. Probably. 

All the Christmas activities eventually caught up to Rey and two days later she found herself lying on the couch huddled under a blanket watching Netflix with a hot cup of tea. She feels like shit, which isn’t good because it was the Friday after Christmas and she needs to be at the restaurant in a few hours for dinner service. Drifting in and out of sleep, she is woken up by the sound of her doorbell. 

“Ugh, coming,” she moans, rising to her feet to answer the door. 

Of course, he would pick today of all days to arrive early. 

Opening the front door, Rey is greeted to the sight of Dameron fresh off his lunch service shift ready to pick up Norra. 

“Hi...oh wow, are you okay?” he asks, eying her disheveled state apprehensively. 

“Fine.” 

She turns around and heads back to her couch. The last thing she needs right now is a lecture or argument. Her only objective is to get some rest before she needs to go to work.

“Okay, well, I’m just gonna get Norra if that is okay?”

“Fine,” Rey mutters, her eyelids already heavy and dropping as she lays out across the couch. 

Seconds, minutes, hours pass by until she is woken up to the sound of her name. 

“Rey?”

“Rey?”

“Mmmm.” She rubs her eyes to find Dameron kneeling over her. He has a vulnerable expression of concern on his face. “You’re still here?”

“Of course,” he smiles shortly. “I just went to change Norra’s diaper before leaving and I came back to find you sound asleep.” He gently places a hand on her forehead and oh-my-god his hand is like pure ice against her skin. “Sweetheart, you’re burning up.” 

Sweetheart? Since when was he calling her pet names? 

She would smack him upside the head if she wasn’t so damn tired. 

“Mmmm. I’m fine.” Her head feels like it's been run over by a freight train and every muscle in her body aches. Lord knows she isn’t admitting any of that to him though. “Go, I just need a bit of rest before dinner service tonight.” Rey drifts in and out of consciousness again, barely catching his reply. 

“Nope, c’mon, let's get you in bed.”

The next thing Rey knows, Dameron has one arm behind her back and another under her legs as he lifts her up and into his arms. She curls up instinctively, settling against his chest as he carries her to her bedroom. “Mmmm you smell nice,” she sighs, unsure if she is still awake or dreaming at this point. 

“I was in the truck for four hours,” he chuckles, “I probably smell like grease and empanadas.”

She nuzzles further into his chest. “It’s nice…” 

Dameron lays her down in bed and pulls the covers over the rest of her body. “Alright, here we are.” 

“Norra…” 

“I got Norra, don’t worry.” He gently caresses Rey’s cheek and brushes back unruly strands of hair. “Just sleep.”

Struggling to stay awake, her next thoughts come out as incomplete sentences. “Restaurant...please...work...I need to...” 

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” Dameron leans forward and kisses her softly on her forehead. “I need you to rest and feel better sweetheart.”

Sleep takes Rey near-instantaneously and she doesn’t have time to be angry at him for once again using such a familiar term of endearment. Conversely, she also doesn’t have time to process how absolutely wonderful his lips feel on her skin.

* * *

Rey wakes up to her head throbbing.

“Ugh,” she moans aloud into her pillow. 

What time is it? She grabs at the air aimlessly for several seconds before finally finding her phone on the nightstand. 

“FUCK!” 

It’s 8:00pm. 

The restaurant’s dinner service should be in full swing.

Oh no. Oh, fucking hell no! Why doesn’t she have any messages? Why did no one call her? 

Rey furiously jumps out of bed and finds the first pair of clean clothes to wear. 

This is beyond a disaster. It’s the Friday after Christmas and she’s not available. What if the restaurant never opened and they are losing out on all that revenue? What if they did open and Rose is struggling to keep things going and their customers are unhappy? Hoping in her car, she fights back tears, terrified of either outcome. 

She should have never listened to Dameron. She should have never let him take her to bed. That damn man has screwed everything up and now she’s going to lose her restaurant, the one thing she has left of Ben Kenobi. Fuck Dameron. This cannot be the second time she lets him nearly ruin her life.

Pulling into the parking lot, the lights outside are lit and she can even see a few patrons waiting by the door. 

Okay, so they did open tonight. Okay, that’s fine, not a big deal. She can make this work. She can totally still make this work. Tying her hair up in a bun, she practically sprints inside. 

“Rey!” greets her hostess Jess. “Didn’t think we’d see you tonight. Heard you were sick.” 

Much to her surprise, not only is the entire dining room full, but everything seems completely normal. Desperate to find out what’s going on, she nods and quickly paces past Jess toward the kitchen. Her body shakes when she hears his voice before even making it through the kitchen doors. 

“Rose I need those two sides of caesar salad right now!” 

“Yes, Chef.”

“Iolo, buddy, where is my asparagus?”

“Coming Chef.”

Tears swell in Rey’s eyes as she pushes open the doors. 

“Okay listen up people, I need two steaks, one rare, one medium, a side of mashed potatoes, corn, two tamale specials, a chicken parm, and the calamari appetizer.” 

“Yes Chef!” the line cooks call in unison. 

Standing over the pass wearing an apron and running her kitchen is fucking Poe Dameron.

“Beaumont, what the fuck is this?” he yells, tossing the plate with a steak on it back at her line cook. “I know damn well you wouldn’t dream of giving Rey a steak this dried out so don’t give me one. C’mon people let’s go, focus up!” 

Rey’s lip trembles, her mouth gapes open and she just stands there watching them work. He’s running her kitchen. He specifically said he left traditional kitchens behind, that this isn’t what he wanted, but here he is just the same. He’s even made modifications to her menu on the wall. It’s beyond unbelievable. Dameron is running _her_ kitchen. 

“Here chef,” calls Rose, handing him two plates ready to go out. 

“Thanks Rose.” He bends over the plate, working a final arrangement and adding the sauce. “Service,” he calls, spinning around looking for a waiter only to find Rey instead. 

Time stops as their eyes meet. 

“Hey,” he smiles timidly with his stupid big, brown, expressive eyes. “We didn’t think we’d see you, how are you—”

“What are you doing?!” she blurts out angrily, unable to stop herself.

“I’m—”

“Why are you in _my_ kitchen?!” 

“I thought—”

“Oh, you thought?!” She takes two steps toward him, her face rapidly heating up. “No, you don’t think Dameron! You never think!”

Dameron raises his hands up as if to surrender. “Okay, I can see your upset, but—”

“But nothing!” Rey is livid, yelling. “Who gave you permission to come into _my_ kitchen, order _my_ staff around, and take control of _my_ restaurant?!”

“I wasn’t…” he stutters, “You weren’t feeling well and I know how much this place means to you. I spoke to everyone and figured I could help you out so you wouldn’t lose any business.”

“So you thought I couldn’t do it on my own then? You thought I was too weak was that it? Thought you knew better than me with your stupid changes to _my_ menu? Seriously, this is just like back at school, fuck you Dameron!”

“Woah, Woah, I don’t think that at all! Not now and not back then either.” Concern and empathy are spread across his face, it's painfully obvious how much he cares for her, but all she can see is red. “Rey, you are the smartest, most capable person I’ve ever met! I told you — you’re a far better chef than me, there is no way I can cook your whole menu.” 

“Bullshit,” she fumes. “Why...why would you do this to me again?!” 

“It’s not bullshit.” 

He smiles awkwardly and she pushes down a warm feeling rising in her stomach. 

“Rey, don’t you know? Sweetheart...I lo—”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” she screams at the top of her lungs. “Don’t you dare say it!” Tears stream down her face. “And don’t you dare call me that either!”

“Rey…”

“GET OUT! Now!” 

He stands there for several seconds with the most depressing look on his face. His eyes plead with her for understanding but she can’t see him. Not in that way. 

“Okay...I’ll just get Norra—”

“Leave her. I’ll take care of her. I don’t need your help!”

“Rey…”

“GET OUT! I don’t ever want to see you again!” 

After another few long moments, he nods, the pain beyond evident in his eyes as he hangs his head and leaves the kitchen. 

Rose barks at the rest of the staff to get back to work. 

Feeling completely hollowed out and empty, Rey slumps down on a chair in the corner. 

What has she done?

* * *

Rey sits collapsed on her kitchen floor at home. Three days had passed since the incident with Dameron at her restaurant. Rose was not shy in her criticism of Rey: that she needs to learn to better accept the kindness that is given to her, that being cared for isn’t about being weak, it’s about cherishing togetherness. She should have listened. She didn’t think it couldn’t possibly get any worse. There was simply no way it could get any worse. Then, this morning, she found out just how wrong she really was.

It all happened so fast, she barely had time to process it. 

When it was over, Rey cried for an eternity. She sobbed and wailed aloud like never before. It felt like part of her heart had been ripped from her, and in many ways, that’s precisely what happened. She cried so much she lost the ability to cry more. Her body was sore from sadness. The roll of Christmas photos pinned to a magnet on her refrigerator door only serves as a painful reminder.

She had everything. Now, she has nothing. 

She was broken. Completely. 

For hours, Rey lays collapsed on the floor. Her phone buzzes and rings multiple times, but she doesn’t bother answering it. Her doorbell rings, but she remains crumpled on the floor. Even a loud noise from outside does nothing to motivate movement.

“Rey! It’s Poe! Open up!” He pounds on her door loudly. “Rey you can’t keep ignoring me.” When she still doesn’t answer, he continues to bang against her door. “Rey, what about Norra? You can’t shut me out of her life!” 

The child's name is what finally snaps her back to the present. 

Slowly rising to her feet, Rey stumbles forward to the front door, leaning against the frame for support. When she finally opens the door, it takes all of three seconds — the time to look into his big, brown, caring eyes — for her to break down.

“Fuck,” he whispers at the sight of her. “Rey, what’s—”

Her tears flow like rivers and her knees give out. She collapses forward, but he’s there in an instant. His arms wrap around her and embrace her warmly as the only thing holding her upright. “Rey, what’s wrong?” he asks as she sobs uncontrollably into chest. “Rey, please, you need to tell me what’s wrong.” Her throat is so sore from crying that when words come out of her mouth they hardly sound like her own. 

“N-Norra. They...took…” 

A lengthy pause for another sob.

“They took...Norra.” 

She can feel every muscle in his body tense as he processes her words. “What? No. No, that can’t be right. You said your meeting with social services also went well. They had no reason to take her. No. They can’t do that.” 

And just like that Rey loses it all over again, her cries serve as the only answer. 

“Please,” she sobs, gripping hard against his arms. “Please Poe, I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry, for everything! Just please, we have to get her back!” She pounds her fists against his chest. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, just please, we have to get Norra back!” 

He’s also balling tears and he pulls Rey tight against him while dropping a dozen kisses atop her head. 

“Yes, we’ll get her back. We’ll get Norra back. We’re going to get _our baby girl_ back. I promise.” 

* * *

They somehow managed to get into his car and drive to social services. The whole ride over, he holds her hand in complete silence. When they walk into the building, she takes his entire arm for support. Finding their way to the right office, the man goes to work arguing their case.

He makes a compelling argument that Norra should never have been taken in the first place, that with Rey’s restaurant and his food truck, the child’s financial future is secure. He argues since they are Norra’s godparents, her birth parents wanted them to look after their child. Most of his other arguments are minor, but still valid facts all the same. 

There is one lie he does spin for the cause, however, and it is one she doesn’t bother correcting.

He tells the case officer that he and Rey are married, that they have been for a while but simply haven’t settled all the paperwork. He tells him the only reason the inspector saw them separately was that they were still working out a permanent living arrangement. He says they shouldn’t worry, Norra would be growing up in a single house with the both of them. He then makes an off-hand joke about the social worker Hux not being too bright, to which the case officer laughs. Rey hardly speaks a single word the entire time, simply nodding and occasionally filling in the gaps when asked to do so. 

Three hours later, they are walking out of social services with Norra wrapped tightly in Rey’s arms.

She doesn’t let go of the baby girl, kissing and caressing her softly the entire drive back home. When they arrive, Rey takes Norra straight to her room and lays her down in the crib. She feels Poe’s arm wrap around her, pulling her into a sideways hug, and she leans against his shoulder. They stand there watching their girl in silence for several minutes. 

It’s in that moment that the truth finally sinks in. Snap and Karé will always be Norra’s birth parents, but she and _Poe_ are also her parents too. Just like Ben Kenobi was for her all those years ago. 

She needs to say something to Poe, anything, but he turns to her first. Backing up slightly, he lets a little space come between them as he holds her hands.

“Hey, I know you hate it when I do things without telling you ahead of time, and I’m sorry, I just thought the whole marriage story thing would be the fastest way to get Norra back.” He’s blushing and drops her hands to rub the back of his neck. “I know a lot has happened over the last few months, hell, just the last week, and I know you probably still hate me, but I’m still committed to making this work...for Norra.” 

He’s officially stammering now, talking out of his ass with no regard for the words coming out of his mouth. “We can figure something out for the next time social services come around for a checkup. You won’t even have to see me until then. We can arrange a fake living situation, yeah, that won’t be hard, and we can use your place since you’re always neater than me. We can take some fake holiday photos too, I know, I’ll even get my dad—”

She’s had enough.

Rey surges forward and presses her lips to his. 

She pushes him hard against the opposite wall and kisses him fiercely. 

It’s amazing, wonderful, incredible, remarkable, astounding, spectacular, marvelous, and a dozen other adjectives that simply aren’t enough because the only word that matters is perfect. 

It’s perfect.

“ _Rey..._ ” he murmurs when they finally break apart.

“ _Poe..._ ” she whispers breathlessly.

He tilts his head with a stupid grin. “Finally using my first name now?” 

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. He caresses her cheek and his warm brown eyes bore into her with nothing but affection. Her eyes flutter shut for a moment until she makes a request of him. 

“Say it.” 

“Sorry?”

“I want you to say it.” 

He still looks confused and she shoots him a look.

“Say the thing you were going to say the other night...before I stopped you.”

It takes three seconds too long, but his eyes light up and a giant grin spreads across his face.

“Rey Kenobi...don’t you know?” 

Tears form in her eyes.

“I love you.” 

A silent voice roars in her stomach and she smashes her lips back against his. 

Home. Love. Family. 

Rey has everything she needs right here. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story! <3


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